The Indira Gandhi National Open University’s contribution to Human Resource Development through Education and support structures is already established in both National and International arena. It has revolutionized Open and Distance Learning (ODL) for the entire nation, especially so in the remote areas. Its contribution to human resource development in North East India cannot be over estimated. NECRD is its first intervention in the area of HRD through Research and Development of North East India. 

      The North East India, even today remains an uncharted territory for many. Comprising of eight internally divert provinces, and in close proximity to a number of South-East Asian countries, this sprawling region boosts of haunting hillscapes, abundant natural beauty, and a very hospitable people with enduring legacies in art and culture including signs and monuments. It provides natural habitat to several endangered plants and animals. The resources characteristics of this region-from rich biodiversity to archeological and cultural heritage-constitute a unique resource base for diversified research for social scientists and environmentalist around the world. To preserve, conserve and exploit these resources in a diversified and balanced manner through a viable development model of sustainability is an utmost imperative from a global perspective. It is therefore singularly unfortunate; when it comes to the North East that the rest of the world hears much less about the riches than insurgency and bloodletting. 

     Effective intervention in development processes in North East India suffers primarily from lack of authoritative resource mapping and a sound database. Several promising initiatives failed to deliver the expected outcomes primarily because they were based on inadequate database and under focused research. Even efforts to undertake action research have been plagued by insufficient accountability, under interpretation of available data or lack of co-ordinated documentation, leading to an unbridgeable gulf between policymaking and implementation on the one hand and grassroot conditions and development on the other.

      We realize that North East needs to evolve a new paradigm for understanding and articulating itself to the rest of the world. It is time we moved beyond the existing optics of sub nationalism and ethnic assertion. We at NECRD propose to lead the march towards this new perspective. We are doing so by focusing on practical means and grassroot initiatives aimed at local level growth through participatory development of different social categories such as women, youth, ethnic collectives and so on.  We submit that our understanding of these social political and economic categories needs to be further enriched in order to provide policy inputs towards evolving adequately equipped and effective support structures through democratic governance.  This objective can be best served by taking into account more variables than existing research initiative do, and through working out minimum-linkage service delivery models.

     The center has instituted the Research and Teaching Assistant (RTA) scheme for research scholars from or outside the region working on North East related themes to pursue Ph.D. programme under the auspices of the University. NECRD also sponsors major and minor research project to academician, research scholars and organizations of the North Eastern Region.